Ramdas Lamb
Biographic Data
| ID | 106170 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Ramdas Lamb |
| GIVEN NAMES | Ramdas |
| FAMILY NAME | Lamb |
| SIGNATURE | LAMB R |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Exeter |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-5786-6006 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 26 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 48 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 26 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1973 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2022 |
| H-INDEX | 4 |
Richard Rorty and the Demands of Liberalism
In this article, I show that Richard Rorty's unduly neglected normative political theory advances a far more distinct and demanding form of liberalism than is usually attributed to him. Attention to how Rorty understands solidarity-and its corresponding conception of public obligations-encourages analysis of his nonjuridical vision of liberal community. Through examination of his oft-ignored, revealing interpretation of Vladimir Nabokov and instr…
Dialogues: Anthropology and Theology
The past five years have witnessed an increased interest in a dialogue between anthropology and theology, evidenced in part by a suite of edited volumes (e.g. Lauterbach & Vähäkangas 2020; Lemons 2018; Tomlinson & Mathews 2018). Analyses informed by this interdisciplinary nexus have demonstrated the utility of theological concepts for anthropological inquiry (e.g. Robbins 2020; Tomlinson 2020; Williams Green 2021). The following series of dialogu…
Exploring the Role of Religious Teachings in Iranian Women’s Sexual Life Scenarios
Pragmatism, practices, and human rights
This article is an intervention in recent debates about conceptual and normative theorisations of human rights, which have been increasingly characterised by a divide between ‘moral’ and ‘practice-based’/’political’ understandings. My aim is to articulate an alternative, pragmatist understanding of human rights, one that is importantly distinct from the practice-based account with which it might be thought affiliated. In the first part of the art…
Historicising the Idea of Human Rights
An adequate interpretation of our liberal and cosmopolitan traditions depends absolutely on an adequate understanding of the history of the idea of human rights. There is, however, deep disagreement about this history. In this article, I argue that disagreement about the emergence of human rights is resolvable and can be explained through attention to problematic methodological commitments within exemplary historical narratives. I first consider,…
Political philosophy and the nature of expertise
What is the appropriate role for the political philosopher in a democratic society? One possible answer to this question is that she should use her expertise to provide normative guidance for her community. My aim in this article is to cast significant doubt on this view. I begin by endorsing a ‘qualitative continuity’ thesis about the nature of political philosophy, which posits an essential crossover between the activities of professional philo…
Poverty and the Quest for Life: Spiritual and Material Striving in Rural India. By Bhrigupati Singh
Poverty and the Quest for Life is Bhrigupati Singh's presentation of life in Shahabad, a region of southeastern Rajasthan, India. The author begins by providing elements of his own background and then that of the area and focus of his research. This allows the reader to contextualize both, which is key to understanding what is written. Quite early in the text, Singh reminds us that the academic understanding of India has limitations that can beco…
The Liberal Cosmopolitanism of Thomas Paine
Article
Post‐Analytic Hermeneutics: Themes from Mark Bevir’s Philosophy of History
(2011). Post‐Analytic Hermeneutics: Themes from Mark Bevir’s Philosophy of History. Intellectual History Review: Vol. 21, Post-Analytic Hermeneutics: Themes from Mark Bevir's Philosophy of History, pp. 1-2
Beliefs, Desires, Weak Intentionality and the Identity of the History of Ideas
The question why Bevir's account of intentionality is conceptualized purely in terms of individual beliefs is important as such a conceptualization appears to depart from standard accounts of intentionality within the philosophy of mind, that include reference to individual desires. It is beliefs and desires which are usually considered the rock‐bottom components of individual intentional states, yet Bevir defines weak intentions solely in terms …
Democracy, Justice and ‘Ruthless Consequentialism’
Introduction: The Politics of Property
Locke on Ownership, Imperfect Duties and ‘the Art of Governing’
In this article, I discuss how Locke's account of virtuous moral obligation fits with his theory of individual rights, with specific attention to his account of ownership. I suggest that the best way to make sense of the relationship between the competing concepts of rights and virtue in Locke's thought is through the idea of imperfect duties: moral duties that do not necessarily have a legal equivalent. These duties indicate how a teleological a…
Liberty, Equality, and the Boundaries of Ownership: Thomas Paine's Theory of Property Rights
Thomas Paine is customarily regarded as a pamphleteer, rhetorician, and polemicist rather than a significant political theorist. This article takes the philosophical content of Paine's thought seriously and argues that his account of property rights constitutes a distinct contribution to theoretical debates on the subject. Drawing on Paine'sAgrarian Justiceand other writings, this article shows that his theory of property defends a libertarian co…
Quentin Skinner's revised historical contextualism: A critique
Since the late 1960s Quentin Skinner has defended a highly influential form of linguistic contextualism for the history of ideas, originally devised in opposition to established methodological orthodoxies like the `great text' tradition and a mainly Marxist epiphenomenalism. In 2002, he published Regarding Method, a collection of his revised methodological essays that provides a uniquely systematic expression of his contextualist philosophy of hi…
For and Against Ownership: William Godwin's Theory of Property
This article offers an interpretation of British philosopher William Godwin's theory of property ownership, as outlined in hisEnquiry Concerning Political Justice. Godwin's work can be read as presenting an incoherent account of property rights, which, on the one hand, justifies its existence on seemingly utilitarian grounds while, on the other, impugns its legitimacy on egalitarian grounds. But the contradiction apparent in Godwin's position is …
The Meaning of Charity in Locke's Political Thought
The recent `religious turn' within Locke scholarship has stressed the need to understand his theological commitments when approaching his political thought. One area of interpretation that has been completely transformed by this heightened sensitivity to the religious roots of Locke's thought is his account of property ownership which, it is claimed, contains a `right to charity' — a subsistence entitlement that trumps established ownership right…
Was William Godwin a Utilitarian
The aim of this article is to discuss whether the political thought of the late eighteenth-century British philosopher William Godwin--as expressed in his Enquiry Concerning Political Justice , published in three different editions during the 1790s--is best described as utilitarian. The significance of this issue and its resolution are threefold. First, it is important within Godwin scholarship. My objective is to rehabilitate the utilitarian rea…
Recent Developments in the Thought of Quentin Skinner and the Ambitions of Contextualism
In this article, I chart some recent developments in the linguistic contextualist philosophy of history defended by Quentin Skinner. I attempt to identify several shifts in the way in which Skinner's position has been presented and justified, focusing particularly on his embrace of anti-foundationalism, his focus on rhetoric rather than speech-acts and his concern to recast contextualism as compatible with other interpretive approaches. In the fi…
The Foundations of Godwinian Impartiality
William Godwin is often cited in contemporary philosophical discussions of ethical impartiality, within which he functions as a sort of shorthand for a particularly crude and extreme act-utilitarianism, one that contains no foundational commitments other than the maximizing of some conception of the general good. This article offers a reinterpretation of Godwin's argument, by focusing closely on the ambiguous nature of its justificatory foundatio…
Rām Banwās: Searching for Rām in world religion textbooks
Always Teaching, Always Gracious: Reflections on Ninian Smart
Planning in the ‘Blue Belt’
Financing Capital Expenditures: A Look at the Municipal Bond Market
Adam Smith's System: Sympathy not Self-Interest
Quentin Skinner's revised historical contextualism: A critique
Since the late 1960s Quentin Skinner has defended a highly influential form of linguistic contextualism for the history of ideas, originally devised in opposition to established methodological orthodoxies like the `great text' tradition and a mainly Marxist epiphenomenalism. In 2002, he published Regarding Method, a collection of his revised methodological essays that provides a uniquely systematic expression of his contextualist philosophy of hi…
Recent Developments in the Thought of Quentin Skinner and the Ambitions of Contextualism
In this article, I chart some recent developments in the linguistic contextualist philosophy of history defended by Quentin Skinner. I attempt to identify several shifts in the way in which Skinner's position has been presented and justified, focusing particularly on his embrace of anti-foundationalism, his focus on rhetoric rather than speech-acts and his concern to recast contextualism as compatible with other interpretive approaches. In the fi…
Dialogues: Anthropology and Theology
The past five years have witnessed an increased interest in a dialogue between anthropology and theology, evidenced in part by a suite of edited volumes (e.g. Lauterbach & Vähäkangas 2020; Lemons 2018; Tomlinson & Mathews 2018). Analyses informed by this interdisciplinary nexus have demonstrated the utility of theological concepts for anthropological inquiry (e.g. Robbins 2020; Tomlinson 2020; Williams Green 2021). The following series of dialogu…
Adam Smith's System: Sympathy not Self-Interest
Historicising the Idea of Human Rights
An adequate interpretation of our liberal and cosmopolitan traditions depends absolutely on an adequate understanding of the history of the idea of human rights. There is, however, deep disagreement about this history. In this article, I argue that disagreement about the emergence of human rights is resolvable and can be explained through attention to problematic methodological commitments within exemplary historical narratives. I first consider,…
The Meaning of Charity in Locke's Political Thought
The recent `religious turn' within Locke scholarship has stressed the need to understand his theological commitments when approaching his political thought. One area of interpretation that has been completely transformed by this heightened sensitivity to the religious roots of Locke's thought is his account of property ownership which, it is claimed, contains a `right to charity' — a subsistence entitlement that trumps established ownership right…
Richard Rorty and the Demands of Liberalism
In this article, I show that Richard Rorty's unduly neglected normative political theory advances a far more distinct and demanding form of liberalism than is usually attributed to him. Attention to how Rorty understands solidarity-and its corresponding conception of public obligations-encourages analysis of his nonjuridical vision of liberal community. Through examination of his oft-ignored, revealing interpretation of Vladimir Nabokov and instr…
Locke on Ownership, Imperfect Duties and ‘the Art of Governing’
In this article, I discuss how Locke's account of virtuous moral obligation fits with his theory of individual rights, with specific attention to his account of ownership. I suggest that the best way to make sense of the relationship between the competing concepts of rights and virtue in Locke's thought is through the idea of imperfect duties: moral duties that do not necessarily have a legal equivalent. These duties indicate how a teleological a…
Liberty, Equality, and the Boundaries of Ownership: Thomas Paine's Theory of Property Rights
Thomas Paine is customarily regarded as a pamphleteer, rhetorician, and polemicist rather than a significant political theorist. This article takes the philosophical content of Paine's thought seriously and argues that his account of property rights constitutes a distinct contribution to theoretical debates on the subject. Drawing on Paine'sAgrarian Justiceand other writings, this article shows that his theory of property defends a libertarian co…
Exploring the Role of Religious Teachings in Iranian Women’s Sexual Life Scenarios
Pragmatism, practices, and human rights
This article is an intervention in recent debates about conceptual and normative theorisations of human rights, which have been increasingly characterised by a divide between ‘moral’ and ‘practice-based’/’political’ understandings. My aim is to articulate an alternative, pragmatist understanding of human rights, one that is importantly distinct from the practice-based account with which it might be thought affiliated. In the first part of the art…
Political philosophy and the nature of expertise
What is the appropriate role for the political philosopher in a democratic society? One possible answer to this question is that she should use her expertise to provide normative guidance for her community. My aim in this article is to cast significant doubt on this view. I begin by endorsing a ‘qualitative continuity’ thesis about the nature of political philosophy, which posits an essential crossover between the activities of professional philo…
The Liberal Cosmopolitanism of Thomas Paine
Article
Post‐Analytic Hermeneutics: Themes from Mark Bevir’s Philosophy of History
(2011). Post‐Analytic Hermeneutics: Themes from Mark Bevir’s Philosophy of History. Intellectual History Review: Vol. 21, Post-Analytic Hermeneutics: Themes from Mark Bevir's Philosophy of History, pp. 1-2
Introduction: The Politics of Property
For and Against Ownership: William Godwin's Theory of Property
This article offers an interpretation of British philosopher William Godwin's theory of property ownership, as outlined in hisEnquiry Concerning Political Justice. Godwin's work can be read as presenting an incoherent account of property rights, which, on the one hand, justifies its existence on seemingly utilitarian grounds while, on the other, impugns its legitimacy on egalitarian grounds. But the contradiction apparent in Godwin's position is …
Was William Godwin a Utilitarian
The aim of this article is to discuss whether the political thought of the late eighteenth-century British philosopher William Godwin--as expressed in his Enquiry Concerning Political Justice , published in three different editions during the 1790s--is best described as utilitarian. The significance of this issue and its resolution are threefold. First, it is important within Godwin scholarship. My objective is to rehabilitate the utilitarian rea…
The Foundations of Godwinian Impartiality
William Godwin is often cited in contemporary philosophical discussions of ethical impartiality, within which he functions as a sort of shorthand for a particularly crude and extreme act-utilitarianism, one that contains no foundational commitments other than the maximizing of some conception of the general good. This article offers a reinterpretation of Godwin's argument, by focusing closely on the ambiguous nature of its justificatory foundatio…
The Presence of France
Adam Smith's System: Sympathy not Self-Interest
Financing Capital Expenditures: A Look at the Municipal Bond Market
Planning in the ‘Blue Belt’
Always Teaching, Always Gracious: Reflections on Ninian Smart
Rām Banwās: Searching for Rām in world religion textbooks
The Foundations of Godwinian Impartiality
William Godwin is often cited in contemporary philosophical discussions of ethical impartiality, within which he functions as a sort of shorthand for a particularly crude and extreme act-utilitarianism, one that contains no foundational commitments other than the maximizing of some conception of the general good. This article offers a reinterpretation of Godwin's argument, by focusing closely on the ambiguous nature of its justificatory foundatio…
Quentin Skinner's revised historical contextualism: A critique
Since the late 1960s Quentin Skinner has defended a highly influential form of linguistic contextualism for the history of ideas, originally devised in opposition to established methodological orthodoxies like the `great text' tradition and a mainly Marxist epiphenomenalism. In 2002, he published Regarding Method, a collection of his revised methodological essays that provides a uniquely systematic expression of his contextualist philosophy of hi…
For and Against Ownership: William Godwin's Theory of Property
This article offers an interpretation of British philosopher William Godwin's theory of property ownership, as outlined in hisEnquiry Concerning Political Justice. Godwin's work can be read as presenting an incoherent account of property rights, which, on the one hand, justifies its existence on seemingly utilitarian grounds while, on the other, impugns its legitimacy on egalitarian grounds. But the contradiction apparent in Godwin's position is …
The Meaning of Charity in Locke's Political Thought
The recent `religious turn' within Locke scholarship has stressed the need to understand his theological commitments when approaching his political thought. One area of interpretation that has been completely transformed by this heightened sensitivity to the religious roots of Locke's thought is his account of property ownership which, it is claimed, contains a `right to charity' — a subsistence entitlement that trumps established ownership right…
Was William Godwin a Utilitarian
The aim of this article is to discuss whether the political thought of the late eighteenth-century British philosopher William Godwin--as expressed in his Enquiry Concerning Political Justice , published in three different editions during the 1790s--is best described as utilitarian. The significance of this issue and its resolution are threefold. First, it is important within Godwin scholarship. My objective is to rehabilitate the utilitarian rea…
Recent Developments in the Thought of Quentin Skinner and the Ambitions of Contextualism
In this article, I chart some recent developments in the linguistic contextualist philosophy of history defended by Quentin Skinner. I attempt to identify several shifts in the way in which Skinner's position has been presented and justified, focusing particularly on his embrace of anti-foundationalism, his focus on rhetoric rather than speech-acts and his concern to recast contextualism as compatible with other interpretive approaches. In the fi…
Introduction: The Politics of Property
Locke on Ownership, Imperfect Duties and ‘the Art of Governing’
In this article, I discuss how Locke's account of virtuous moral obligation fits with his theory of individual rights, with specific attention to his account of ownership. I suggest that the best way to make sense of the relationship between the competing concepts of rights and virtue in Locke's thought is through the idea of imperfect duties: moral duties that do not necessarily have a legal equivalent. These duties indicate how a teleological a…
Liberty, Equality, and the Boundaries of Ownership: Thomas Paine's Theory of Property Rights
Thomas Paine is customarily regarded as a pamphleteer, rhetorician, and polemicist rather than a significant political theorist. This article takes the philosophical content of Paine's thought seriously and argues that his account of property rights constitutes a distinct contribution to theoretical debates on the subject. Drawing on Paine'sAgrarian Justiceand other writings, this article shows that his theory of property defends a libertarian co…
Post‐Analytic Hermeneutics: Themes from Mark Bevir’s Philosophy of History
(2011). Post‐Analytic Hermeneutics: Themes from Mark Bevir’s Philosophy of History. Intellectual History Review: Vol. 21, Post-Analytic Hermeneutics: Themes from Mark Bevir's Philosophy of History, pp. 1-2
Beliefs, Desires, Weak Intentionality and the Identity of the History of Ideas
The question why Bevir's account of intentionality is conceptualized purely in terms of individual beliefs is important as such a conceptualization appears to depart from standard accounts of intentionality within the philosophy of mind, that include reference to individual desires. It is beliefs and desires which are usually considered the rock‐bottom components of individual intentional states, yet Bevir defines weak intentions solely in terms …
Democracy, Justice and ‘Ruthless Consequentialism’
The Liberal Cosmopolitanism of Thomas Paine
Article
Poverty and the Quest for Life: Spiritual and Material Striving in Rural India. By Bhrigupati Singh
Poverty and the Quest for Life is Bhrigupati Singh's presentation of life in Shahabad, a region of southeastern Rajasthan, India. The author begins by providing elements of his own background and then that of the area and focus of his research. This allows the reader to contextualize both, which is key to understanding what is written. Quite early in the text, Singh reminds us that the academic understanding of India has limitations that can beco…
Political philosophy and the nature of expertise
What is the appropriate role for the political philosopher in a democratic society? One possible answer to this question is that she should use her expertise to provide normative guidance for her community. My aim in this article is to cast significant doubt on this view. I begin by endorsing a ‘qualitative continuity’ thesis about the nature of political philosophy, which posits an essential crossover between the activities of professional philo…
Exploring the Role of Religious Teachings in Iranian Women’s Sexual Life Scenarios
Pragmatism, practices, and human rights
This article is an intervention in recent debates about conceptual and normative theorisations of human rights, which have been increasingly characterised by a divide between ‘moral’ and ‘practice-based’/’political’ understandings. My aim is to articulate an alternative, pragmatist understanding of human rights, one that is importantly distinct from the practice-based account with which it might be thought affiliated. In the first part of the art…
Historicising the Idea of Human Rights
An adequate interpretation of our liberal and cosmopolitan traditions depends absolutely on an adequate understanding of the history of the idea of human rights. There is, however, deep disagreement about this history. In this article, I argue that disagreement about the emergence of human rights is resolvable and can be explained through attention to problematic methodological commitments within exemplary historical narratives. I first consider,…
Richard Rorty and the Demands of Liberalism
In this article, I show that Richard Rorty's unduly neglected normative political theory advances a far more distinct and demanding form of liberalism than is usually attributed to him. Attention to how Rorty understands solidarity-and its corresponding conception of public obligations-encourages analysis of his nonjuridical vision of liberal community. Through examination of his oft-ignored, revealing interpretation of Vladimir Nabokov and instr…
Philosophy (19 works) · Sociology (18 works) · Philosophy (17 works) · Political science (16 works) · Epistemology (15 works) · Law (14 works) · Law (14 works) · Politics (13 works) · Law and economics (10 works) · Political philosophy (9 works)